Sanae Kotiya
frame|right Introduction Sanae Kotiya (Kochiya), the shrine maiden of Moriya, who appears in Mountain of Faith, UFO, and Hisoutensoku. As a character here she has slow deliberate movements and the ability to manipulate the wind to her advantage. Best used with a patient mindset and a bit of forethought to how you want to approach. Hisoutensoku 1.10 Changes Girls are patching, please wait warmly. *The wind caused by Sanae's movement now lingers for about a second and a half. *New Move, 4C: Uses Suwako. She pops up from the ground in front of Sanae, twirling her iron ring. 5 hits, 25% limit. Aerial too. Takes up the charge used for Suwako. *New Move, 6C: Uses Kanako. She appears with a group of spinning pillars that shoot a short distance in front of her after a delay. Aerial too. Takes up the charge used for Kanako. *f.5A replaced: Sanae now spins and sweeps her staff downwards, similar in style to Komachi's f.5A. Fairly fast. *3A replaced: Sanae lunges forward, sliding the along the ground to hit them with her shoulder. Can be charged. 40% limit. *j.2A replaced: Sanae now sticks a single foot downwards for the animation. If it strikes the enemy, they are hit and then Sanae bounces upwards unless you cancel out. Think: Frog Hop. Cancels out upwards vertical momentum on activation; reels on counterhit. *j.6A replaced: Sanae now sweeps her staff in front of her, around to over her shoulder. Moves her up and backwards on use. *6A change: Faster, new downwards-swinging animation. Wall bounces. Can be charged and guard crushes if lowblocked. *8A change: Now moves Sanae slightly forward. *B bullets change: The wall of bullets will contract inwards over a distance, eventually spiraling in on itself and then spreading outwards again. *5C and j.5C are now chargeable. *Revitalizing Wind (236B/C): Faster launch, quicker recovery. Both versions produce the whirlwind in front of Sanae, where it moves forward quickly. C version now makes it move diagonally upwards instead. Wind lingers considerably longer, but it has no hitbox. Hitbox is activated (and projectile moves as normal) once Sanae initiates wind levitation. *Falling Stars (236B/C): Improved default density. Leveling up notably increases damage and size (and probably density, too). Level 1 now tears easily through weak bullets and slows Utsuho's 5C for a bit. *Fortune Packet Toss (22B/C): Faster recovery/HJC time. (Needs confirm) *Sky Serpent (22B/C): Can now be done in the air. The spirits will go straight down if they fly over the opponent. *Cobalt Spread (22B/C): C version now differs, making the frogs leap more forward. Makes for a faster attack, but less vertical coverage. *Earth Goddess: Iron Wheel (214B/C): Faster, Suwako's hoop now spins a full 360 degrees around her body. *Earth Goddess: Shield (214B/C): Starting at level 1, when the bubble fades away it releases several droplet bullets that hover briefly before falling to the ground. *Wonder "Daytime Guest Stars": Now summoned over the enemy. Will continue even if Sanae is struck. *Esoterica "Nine Syllable Stabs": Lasers now deal more hits before they vanish. Unique Features Sanae: She is able to summon her goddesses, Suwako and Kanako, as assists for her 214b/c and 623b/c attacks. There are a few options for both and each have their advantages and disadvantages. Once you use them you have to wait for the bar to regenerate to use a 214 or 623 move again. Leveling up the skill decreases this timer. Levitation: Sanae's flight will go in the direction you specify, but it's impossible to change the angle without restarting. The wind effect also lasts for a short time, so if you fly towards the right and walk/jump towards the left, you will be slowed from the wind. If you run out of spirit while levitating, Sanae immediately loses all momentum and slowly falls down to the ground. Even if she is struck and techs out, or recovers spirit, she will be unable to initiate flight again until she lands. You can use this mechanic greatly to your advantage. The wind remains for a few seconds after landing, so if an enemy is in immediate pursuit and planning to launch a blockstring on you, the levitation's wind will keep you pushed out of range. You can also greatly extend Sanae's default airdash (almost three times the length) by dashing diagonally upwards (or downwards, in some cases) in the direction you wish to go and cancel immediately into your airdash. As far as input concerned, think of it as 'D9 66' or 'D3 66'. Guidance: Sanae's light projectiles can have their flight path altered by flying. While in flight, they go in the same direction that you do. If you're flying towards the enemy they speed up. If you're flying away, they slow down. You can use this to control your Suwako bubble protection, readjust your pink paper bullets to hit an unsuspecting enemy, or push a wind swirly in front of you to control the field. Gameplay: Unfortunately for Sanae, her melee is outclassed by by all other characters in every possible way - range, startup speed, active duration (how "meaty" it is), damage, and the ability to reliably combo it into other stuff. As a result, if you want your Sanae to also be good at winning, you're going to have to play very patient and wait for your opponent to make mistakes. You can use your bullets to make your opponent do mistakes, with their hitbox and the way they move which is very deceptive. B bullets come in weird patterns, and the C bullets are very dense, 22 can be guided with your movement, etc. Learn these patterns very well and don't be afraid to use them a lot, do everything it takes to confuse your opponent about how to approach you and then counter him once he does something wrong. Melee Moves Bullet Moves 5B/j.5B Wave of purple papers. These bullets come from behind her, so they do not hit immediately (but may be useful for crossup/fake crossup purposes) Note: Sanae's B shot changes direction when Sanae dashes/flies. Flying up or down makes existing B projectiles curve in that direction, and flying forward or back changes their speed. Charged version launches 20 bullets. Drains 1/2 orb on complete hit uncharged, more than 1.5 charged. 6B/j.2B Summons papers slightly above Sanae's head, launching them in a diagonally downwards angle. 2B Summons papers around Sanae, launching them upwards. 5C/j.5C Star magic missile. 5C is red and goes forward, 2C is blue and spreads in an arc from over Sanae's head downwards. No difference between air and ground versions. Good penetration. Charged version has more hits, each of them adding less limit than the regular version. 2C/j.2C Star spread. A group of 7 stars appears above Sanae's head, descending downwards in an arc formation. Their hitbox size increases as they descend. Fairly thick. Key part in Sanae's aerial blockstrings involving j.8A. 4C/j.4C Anti-air Suwako summon. Consumes Suwako use; has its own static recharge time of 4 seconds. Suwako pops up from the ground, ascending diagonally upwards as she swings her hoop above her head. Hits opponents on the ground. 5 hits, 25% limit. Sanae follows Suwako slightly into the air, allowing for special or super cancels. 6C/j.6C Projectile Kanako summon. Consumes Kanako use; has its own static recharge time of 4 seconds. Kanako appears behind Sanae, conjuring a swirling ring of pillars that she shoots forwards. Wallbounces on counterhit. Long active frames at the end of its range but slow startup/firing speed. Useful when you're playing a Wind Tunnel deck and don't have default 623 Kanako- you can use this instead of a default star bullet (one wimpy hit) or when j.2C won't connect in time. Drains 1 orb on block. Special Moves Note: All Goddess Summon skills have their recharge decreased as the skill in particular levels up. Alternate-Skill Cards Spellcards Combos (old) Sanae Combo Video - the general stuff, without and with cards (new) Japan Sanae Replay Pack - 1.03, Phantasm-Tier Sanae, watch and learn :Midscreen: From 5A(AAA) ::*'5AAA 2B 623B' (1939/1811 damage) :: Requires: 1 Spirit, Kanako ::Notes: Works everywhere on the screen. ::*'5AAAA 6A 623B/6C' (2395/2289 damage) :: Requires: 1 Spirit, Kanako ::*'5AAAA hj9 j.5A j.2A' (2240 damage, 80% limit) :: Requires: Near Corner ::Notes: This is a string not for corner, but for a location close to the corner. Requires no spirit since it's just melee. ::*'5AAAA hj9 j.5A j.2A j.5B j.6C' (2617 damage, 117% limit) :: Requires: 2 Spirit, Kanako, Near Corner ::*'5AAAA 6A 5C 623C' (2465 damage, 130% limit) :: Requires: 1 Spirit, Kanako, Near Corner ::Notes: Easy combo which only works near the corner for Sanae to connect with the 6A. From 2A ::*'2A 3A 5C hj9 j.5A j.6A' (2307 damage) :: Requires: 1 Spirit ::Notes: Requires some space to pull off. ::*'2A 3A 4C 623B/C' (2388 damage) :: Requires: 2 Spirit, Kanako, Suwako ::Notes: Teamwork! Execute Kanako's rushdown as soon as possible, else Suwako will hit them out of range. Will not work in corner. From j.5A ::*'j.5A j.8A j.5C D9 j.5A j.6A' (2369 damage) :: Requires: 1 Spirit ::Notes: Anti-air. ::*'j.5A j.8A j.4C D9 j.8A' (2340) :: Requires: 1 Spirit, Suwako ::Notes: Alternative to above. From j.8A ::*'j.8A j.5B j.5C' (1652 damage, 100% limit) :: Requires: 2 Spirit ::Notes: Simple Anti-air for high targets that works everywhere. In the corner only does 1300~ damage and 70%~ limit. From j.2A ::*'j.2A j.2A j.2A 623C' (2266 damage, 100% limit) :: Requires: 1 Spirit, Kanako ::Notes: Works anywhere on an airborne opponent. Seriously. The first j.2A has to connect fairly low for the combo to work (Sanae's head should be at about chest level of the opponent). Tends to drop after the second hit on smaller opponents (Cirno & Suwako). Swap 623C with j.6C for a lower damage variant if you're not running thrust Kanako. From 66C ::*'66C hj9 j.8A j.2C' (1800 damage, 100% limit) :: Requires: 1 Spirit ::Notes: For general 66C connections, sometimes you won't be able to reach them fast enough but it's all you can usually do. ::*'66C hj9 j.6A j.2C 623B' (1990 damage, 130% limit) :: Requires: 1 Spirit, Kanako ::Notes: Sometimes the opponent can air-tech before the j.6A connects. Works best near corners. ::*'66C (only last hit) hj9 j.5A j.8A j.2C' (2000+ damage, 100% limit) :: Requires: 1 Spirit ::Notes: For when the first hit whiffs. If only one hit connects the enemy loses the option to airtech and isn't flung as far, allowing for a full followup. Easiest in the corner. j.2C will usually hit 100% for big damage. :Corner: ::*'5AAAA 2A 3A 5C 623C' (2623/2539 damage, 130% limit) :: Requires: 1 Spirit, Kanako ::Notes: Standard corner string for clean 5A hits. You may skip the 5C but then you have to use 623B and not 623C. ::*'5AAAA 6A 5C 623C' (2483 damage, 130% limit) :: Requires: 2 Spirit, Kanako ::Notes: The upper combo won't work in 1.10, so this is an easy one to do until someone discovers a better one ::*'2A 3A 5C hj9 j.5A j.6A j.6C' (2227 damage, 130% limit) :: Requires: 2 Spirit, Kanako ::Notes: If the Kanako bar isn't full, j.5B can be substituted for j.6C. It deals less damage but still limits. ::*'6A 6A 2B' (1457 damage, 96% limit) :: Requires: 1 Spirit ::Notes: For the rare occasion that you get a held down 6A hit in the corner, works regardless of ground or air opponent. ::*'j.5A j.8A j.2B j.2C' (2247 damage, 100% limit) :: Requires: 2 Spirit ::Notes: Simple Anti-air in corner. ::*'j.5A j.8A j.5B j.2C 66 j.5A j.6A' (2610 damage) :: Requires: 2 Spirit ::Notes: Better Anti-air in corner with stricter inputs. ::*'j.5A j.2A j.5A j.2A j.2C 623C' (2998, 100% limit) :: Requires: 2 Spirit, Kanako ::Notes: Anti-air in corner with Kanako. Vertical spacing is somewhat difficult; the combo needs to be initiated with both characters at about the same height. Damage calculated with Kanako at level 0. ::*'j.5A j.2A j.5A j.2A j.5B j.2C' (2777, 100% limit) :: Requires: 2 Spirit ::Notes: Kanako-less version of above combo. ::*'66C hj8 j.5A j.6A j.5C 623B' (2150 damage, 130% limit) :: Requires: 2 Spirit, Kanako ::Notes: j.8A can be substituted for j.6A, but it deals less damage. Easy non-spellcard combo off 66C. ::*'66C 22B/C 22B/C (j.8A)' (1873 - 2517 damage, 120% limit) :: Requires: 2 Spirit ::Notes: Damage varies with the fortune packets. j.8A if limit doesn't reach 100% after the fortune packets. With two Lv 4 大吉 packets, the combo damage goes up to 3701. ::*'66C hj8 j.5A j.6A j.6C' (1994 damage, 120% limit) :: Requires: 1 Spirit, Kanako ::Notes: New combo for v1.10, still inferior to the one above but useful for decks that don't use the default 623 skill. :Spellcard: ::*'c.5AAAA Ritual' (3050 damage, 72% limit) :: Requires: Ritual ::Notes: Corner only. ::*'(j.5A) 5AAAA Thaumaturgy j.8A' (3141/2956 damage) :: Requires: Thaumaturgy ::Notes: The j.5A is optional. Corner only. ::*'5AAAA Stars/Open' (3780/3847 damage) :: Requires: Opening -OR- Stars Wonder -AND- *A certain distance zone* ::Notes: For this to work you have to be NOT in the corner, but close enough to it to make your dial-a wallslam the opponent. Practice this, as you have less than a second to activate the spellcard due to the enemy being able to airtech almost immediately on wallslam. ::*'2A 3A Day the Sea Split' (2000+ damage) :: Requires: Opening "The Day the Sea Split" ::Notes: Best used midscreen, where Sanae will be able to followup while the wave carries the enemy to the end of the screen. Followup usually consists of j.A j.#A for around 3,000 damage. Will whiff on some characters. ::*'66C Miracle/Night with Overly Bright Guest Stars' (2800/3000 damage) :: Requires: Opening "Moses's Miracle" -OR- "Night with Overly Bright Guest Stars" ::Notes: Easy way to profit from Sanae's lack of easily-connectible spellcards. It's generally recommended you reserve Moses's Miracle for dial-A wallslams, but if this wins the match, it wins the match. Night variation is likely to whiff for about 1300 damage if the first hit misses and second counterhits in midair. ::*'66C (1 hit) Thaumaturgy hj.8 j.6A' (2000+ damage) :: Requires: "Gray Thaumaturgy", Kanako (certain distance only) ::Notes: Easy way to benefit from the ordinarily-unwieldy Gray Thaumaturgy card. There's only a few bullets but they're powerful as exemplified here. Works at any range, even if Sanae is casting from the right (the first bullet comes out in the southeastern position). You can use the default Rush goddess card (Kanako) instead of j.6A if you're close and fast enough. Usually limits. ::*'2A 3A 5C Miracle' (3600 damage, 190% limit) :: Requires: Opening "Moses's Miracle" -AND- 1 Spirit -AND- Some distance from corner] ::Notes: Nice combo to Mose's Miracle. Do Mose's Miracle right after the 5C. Some distance is need from the corner for the remaining 4 hits of the 5C to juggle the opponent. :Weather-Specific: ::*'2A 3A 2C 623B/C' (2200 damage) :: Requires: Monsoon, Kanako, Corner ::Notes: Use when a stray 2A lands in the corner. Limits. As a note, any corner Monsoon combo with 2A 3A 2C starter can usually be finished with some spellcard. ::*'2A 3A Thaumaturgy 6A' (2953 damage) :: Requires: Monsoon, Corner, "Gray Thaumaturgy" ::Notes: 6A may not connect due to awkward firing of Gray Thaumaturgy's bullets. Limits. ::*'2A 3A 2C 6A' (2097 damage) :: Requires: Monsoon, Corner. ::Notes: For when a spellcard and/or Kanako are simply unavailable. Damage may vary into the 1900s due to some 2C stars not hitting. Limits. ::*'2A 3A Ritual' (3402 damage) :: Requires: Monsoon, Corner, "Forgotten Ritual" ::Notes: Will not limit, so they'll usually tech away. Chaining into a special prior to the Ritual just results in proration that decreases the overall damage. Advanced Levitation There's many techniques that can be performed using Sanae's levitation/wind guidance mechanic, detailed here. For reference, the following projectiles/skills can be guided using Sanae's levitation: B bullets, 236B/C Wind gusts, 214B/C Suwako Bubble, 22B/C Fortune Packet Toss, 623B/C Wind Tunnel, Colorful Draw "Serial Disorder Mix" (Barely, given recovery time), Prayer "Swift Protection" (same). *'Bullets Realign Themselves': As far as B bullets are concerned, the effects of the wind will wear off and they will return to their normal trajectory roughly 2/3 of the way across the screen. A brief tap of either D2 or D8 will alter their altitude by roughly half the screen height. This rule also applies with speeding or slowing the bullets via D4 or D6. *'No 180-degree Guidance': B bullets are the only projectiles with their own momentum that cannot be reversed, like how Fortune Packets can. At best, you can alter their flight path to make them go vertically straight up or down. *'Fortune Packet Reversal': You can use your flight to redirect a sugar packet's trajectory and send it flying back towards you, often hitting an unsuspecting enemy in the back. Just be careful you don't get caught in Dai Kyo. *'Lengthened Airdash': Sanae can utilize the wind to massively extend the distance she airdashes (44/66 in midair). This is simply done by pressing either D9 or D3 (depending on the altitude you want to end up in, D9 obviously gets you farther since you won't hit the ground) and then 66. You can do it backwards, too, if necessary. Be careful about using this one, as it consumes both your dashes and can leave you stranded in the air for a few moments. *'Grounded Levitation': Unlike other characters, Sanae will not automatically land when dashing into the ground. If you D3 from midair and touch the ground, Sanae will simply 'float' forwards...very slowly, considering half of her mechanic is forcing her into the ground. She'll still have graze frames and she can stop this at any time by just letting go of D. While this isn't useful on its own, it's something you need to be familiar with for another technique... *'Tempest-Grade Ground Dash': Sanae can use her levitation mechanic to transition from a ground 'float' into a plain ground dash, but with a speed akin to Tempest weather. The transition is quick and seems to be mostly flawless- just let go of D and press it again when you reach the level where Sanae is ground 'floating'. D3 (pause to touch ground) D6. This requires a lot of practice. If you release D before you enter the ground-float state, Sanae will simply enter her landing frames, preventing her from taking advantage of her wind. Strategies Weather *'Tempest': The increased movement speed stacks with your wind, allowing you to travel across the screen nearly instantaneously. *'Scorching Sun': Great time to execute a 66C Wonder "Night with Overly Bright Guest Stars" combo. *'Monsoon': You can utilize the extra ground bounce very well in the corner, unlocking some news combos. *'Spring Haze': 66B will let you graze past their bullets, and Spring Haze will make the graze frames count for any melee they try and use to stop you. *'Diamond Dust': Work on knockdowns via 2A 3A. Sanae has so much okizeme at her disposal that keeping them in the corner will be no problem. Okizeme Sanae has surprisingly good okizeme and bullet pressure in general. *'j.2C': The stars are fairly dense and grow larger as they fall, proving a large range of ground cover. Since they fall from above Sanae, they also work as aerial self-cover. Basic bullet cover and oki. *'623B/C Wind Tunnel': The higher your level the longer the tunnel lasts, improving overall oki capability. Forces the enemy to either fly, graze or block on wakeup. *'214B/C Snare Trap': Place this out of their teching range, or just drop it a bit from the corner if you're in Diamond Dust. Prevents them from flying out at lower altitudes or ground dashing away. *'22B/C Fortune Packet': Fairly weak, but it can work. Kyo and Dai Kyo in particular provide good cover, since the first releases some homing bullets and the second has a consistent glob of hitframes that remains for a few seconds. *'22B/C Cobalt Spread': A gigantic mob of frogs, can stop some attempts at bullet cover and forces the enemy to graze through. *'j.2A': Unusual skill, can be used to crossup. Decks Wind Tunnel Harassment :4x Heaven Goddess: Wind Tunnel :4x Earth Goddess: Snare Trap :2+ Wonder "Night with Overly Bright Guest Stars" :2+ Sea Opening "Moses's Miracle" ::Cards used: 12. ::Cards remaining: 8. ::Other cards options: 2 more Wonder/Sea Opening spell cards. Grey Thaumaturgy, Forgotten Ritual and Nine Syllable Stabs are also options. Any number of Cobalt Spread (alt 22B/C) skillcards synergizes well with the rest of the deck. Can also bring Guard Hangekis/Bombs to escape pressure, Grimoires to increase spirit regen or Dolls to decrease received damage. Strategy: As implied, this deck is built mainly around endlessly harassing and pressuring the enemy into doing something wrong. Wind Tunnel provides you with a clear horizontal zone that's free of bullets, and its vertical control is amazing as well. Snare Traps provide good pressure and defensive cover (make sure you don't get hit, or else it will fade) due to Suwako being considered melee, making them hard to simply graze over. You can help harass the enemy yourself by tossing out frog packets (22B/C) whenever necessary, since they have a big, sprawling hitbox when they jump out of the ground. While the two provided spellcards are high-cost (4 and 5 respectively) they're the easiest to combo for Sanae. You'll usually manage the Guest Stars card through 66C or by your enemy being hit by the top of Kanako's wind tunnel, though the latter requires a good sense of spacing and timing. Moses's Miracle can work off 66C but it generally works best off of dial-A wallslam. This likewise requires a good sense of spacing- if you launch it after they hit the wall, they'll be able to tech away safely. Wind Tunnel can be guided vertically, so you can deploy it in the air and then guide it downwards to pin your enemy in block, graze, or crouching states, depending on what they were doing at the time. Just be careful that you're not hit out of the summoning, since there's a bit of a delay prior to the wind tunnel gaining hit boxes. You can surprise your enemy by flying straight up and dropping the tunnel on the ground below with 623C. You can also fly around to cross them up, since the tunnel has multiple spaced-out hits that they have to adjust their directional blocking for. The main attraction with Suwako's Snare Trap is that she's melee. While it's possible to bait her out safely, doing so generally opens Sanae to increasing her momentum. Likewise, Suwako keeps them in hitstun for around 3 hits with 30% limit, allowing for followups when they're caught off guard. It's useful for keeping the enemy in the corner, and it can enhance your dial-A when used in the corner. If you drop it near the corner and dial-A an enemy into the wall, Suwako will pop up and extend your damage to around 2,000+. If you're quick, you can followup with a j.A j.8A combo as well. There's a fair delay before spirit regeneration resumes after dropping a snare trap, so you may want to HJC and briefly fly to jump-start regeneration to keep the pressure coming. It's extremely important to level up Wind Tunnel whenever possible, since levels increase the tunnel's duration and, by proxy, damage. Nine Syllable Stabs At first glance, this appears to be a very subpar spellcard due to the massive delay before the lasers fire. Even then, the enemy can just graze or sit there and block and it will have been for naught, right? Not quite. Even assuming full spirit, when the enemy gets caught on one of the lines, there's a fair amount of time for Sanae to follow up and guardcrush. More importantly, if the enemy is caught slightly in the air (and this is generally the only way they can escape unless they want to walk right into you), you can use 66C's grounded (that is, unairblockable) property to break their guard and fling them up into other grid lasers. Dropping a Snare Trap beforehand will also make Suwako help snag any low-fliers that are trying to get away. With 1.10, this move's beastly nature has been exacerbated. Impossible to stop the startup, and each laser has roughly 11 hits before it fades- 33% limit per laser. Each laser drains roughly a spirit orb. If you catch the enemy in the air, crushing them is beyond easier through melee alone. But simply bouncing them along the lasers with your own body is extremely effective- it deals almost 4,000 damage raw even at the highest levels of health proration.